When Bonds Are Formed
by woochann
Summary: Tifa/Sephiroth. Tifa, now lonely and desperate for some company and action somehow triggers the awakening of Sephiroth for a third time. Whole summary inside. - on long hiatus -
1. When Bonds Are Formed

**Title: **_When Bonds Are Formed_

**By: **_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_

**Rating: **PG...I think. It won't be higher than this but I suck at telling ratings.

**Disclaimer: **Okay unlike in my other stories I replay the disclaimer over and over again. That stops NOW! I am only saying this once and only once...I do not own any characters other than the ones I might randomly throw in their. Sephiroth and Tifa and anyone else(not created by me) belongs to Squaresoft. This disclaimer applies to all chapters. Thanks!

**Notes: **Okay I just had this idea in my head that wouldn't leave me alone...like it, love it, or hate it I don't care. But no flames. I like praise and constructive criticism. Anyways as you can already tell this is a Sephiroth/Tifa fan fiction. Also I have a full summary here just in case I didn't write it all out there. Oh and below in the summary when I mean bound by ties I mean like when one gets hurt the other does(maybe not as severely but you get what I'm saying) this does not mean they are _physically _tied together. Anyways you'll see when I start getting into later chapters.

Also this story takes place _after _Final Fantasy 7:Advent Children.

**Summary:** Tifa, now lonely and desperate for some company and action somehow triggers the awakening of Sephiroth for a third time. Bound by invisible ties, these two must work together to break the bonds that bind them together. But it seems breaking bonds is harder that it appears to be. Fate has a weird way of showing love and desired company.(not awesome but hopefully it gets my point across.)

_Italics _equals thoughts

" " equals speaking

**bold **equals either their conscience or someone else speaking inside their head.

Sephiroth: 27

Tifa: 23

_**

* * *

**__**When Bonds Are Formed**_ **- Chapter 1**

_Why?_

**Why? I would think you would know, **a masculine voice whispered harshly in her mind.

Snapping her eyes open, Tifa looked around confused. She gingerly touched her headache stricken head.

_What is this voice that haunts me inside my head?_

Not stopping long to think about it she walked up to the steps that lead from her bar to her bedroom, a bathroom, a few guest rooms, and a office. She sighed in tiredness and sadness. Denzel and Marlene were gone. Marlene away with Barret and Denzel tagged along. Denzel wanted to be with Cloud, of course, but they both knew somehow, Cloud wasn't coming back. Cloud was still in denial that Aerith was long since past.

This made Tifa very saddened, sad to see him waste his life looking for someone who was not coming back to life. The death of Sephiroth brought little happiness to anyone but Yuffie, who seemed happy about anything. Tifa smiled a bit as she remembered Yuffie's cheerfulness and energetic attitude.

"If anyone could make you smile, it was her." Tifa said with sadness coating her words.

Tifa never forgot what her mom told her many a times just so she would be prepared for the real world...nothing lasts forever. No one knew this better than Tifa. Her and Cloud was a good example. She thought(more liked hoped) that after Sephiroth was gone Cloud and her could settle down with Denzel and maybe Marlene if Barret gave the okay. She always thought she loved Cloud and at a time she thought he loved her as well. How screwed up that was.

Cloud only thought of one person. And let's just say it _wasn't _her.

After he left without even a good-bye just a note, she spiraled into depression that none of her friends could help with. And slowly, after reexamining herself, her love of him slipped away. Now she only cared that he was safe as he tried to find what he was looking for.

Tears appeared in Tifa's mahogany eyes but they did not fall.

_I will not cry for him...not anymore._

Tifa trudged up the creaking wooden stairs and ignored the images and memories that seemed to trigger with each room she passed. She came to a dark cherry colored wooden door and placed a delicate hand on it's rough surface. She ran her fingers over it's texture, taking in every detail. She turned her head away and closed her eyes. Shaking her head to try and erase the memories, she felt her hair rub against her milky colored skin. She opened the door and went straight to a desk, where a phone and picture were located at.

She looked down and picked up the photo of Denzil, Marlene, herself, and...Cloud. She closed her eyes, tears threatening to fall.

_Why? Why did you go Cloud? We all loved you so much._

A mirthless laugh echoed through the room as a dark presence coated the walls in it's malice.

**"So the idiot finally decided to leave you for good hmm. How tragic."** The voice mocked at her not only in her head but on the outside as well.

She opened her eyes and whipped her head around in the direction of the voice only to see nothing. The dark presence lingered a bit before disappearing completely. Pain shot through her head. She covered her ears and collapsed to her knees, dropping the picture in the process. The headache got worse.

"Leave me alone!" She cried in agony.

The pain instantly disintegrated into nothing. Tifa removed her hands from her head and looked around the room. Standing up she grabbed the fallen picture and checked for damages, seeing none she placed it back on the desk.

"What is happening to me? Why does this voice sound so familiar? Who's is it?" She thought out loud, curiosity and confusion tinting her voice.

Shaking her head, she leapt up so she sat on top of the desk, her legs hanging over the desks front and her hands gripping the desks edge. Tifa looked out the window observing the sun being blotted out by the storm clouds. She couldn't help but think something was coming and she wasn't talking about a storm.

* * *

All that was felt was the gentle touch of water meeting skin. This was a new feeling from the normal blackness. The feeling of being dead but not quite. Something was calling. Pulling them out of their long slumber. They felt a pull, a surge of overwhelming power. The power that now coursed through their veins gave them the strength to open tired eyes. They found out they weren't in ordinary water. They were in a shell filled with water, hidden from the world. How they got their, they could not remember. Reaching a hand out to touch the seemingly protective shell, it groaned and then the person noticed notches that lit up and slowly opened for them to exit. 

The power felt now long gone, weakness consumed them once again. The water spilled out as the shell opened. The person fell to their knees, coughing and spitting up water. Taking in a breath of musty air they stood regaining some strength. They looked about the room.

Eyes blurred a bit they blinked, clearing their eyes. Seeing a long katana in front of them, resting on a pedal stool they reached out and grabbed it's hilt. Memories, images, and words soon spilled into their brain, awakening their memory and power. One word slipped out of their lips,

"Masamune."

They observed the sword and suddenly all was put together. Everything made since.

The one thought dead was alive.

Sephiroth had awoken.

* * *

Okay so this is chapter one. It's sorta like a prologue but not and sorry it's not that long. I hope you enjoyed it. Review please. And I will try to have the second chapter out soon. See ya! 

_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_


	2. Keeper of Binds and Holder of Illusions

**Title:** _When Bonds Are Formed_

**By: **_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_

**Rating:** G or PG. The rating should not go up any further. I do NOT write lemons. I think there nasty. Bu that's my opinion.

**Notes: **Hey...I am SOOO sorry for such a long wait! But I have gotten back the love for this pairing(not that I lost it I just wasn't obsessed at the moment)! I totally got lazy and didn't write anymore. Hopefully I can make it up with a longer chapter to satisfy you guys. I just finished watching FF7: AC and it just makes me love the characters more! Sooo...yeah. Oh! And an anonymous reviewer asked a very good question.

I shall try to answer in the best way that I can.

You see when I put "they" in the last part for Sephiroth, I was trying not to reveal it was him till the last part. Also I wasn't trying to reveal that it was a _guy _until the last part as well. So that is why "they" was used. Because I'm not going to say "it." And I ruled out he and she. SO the only one left was "they" or "them" or "their." And for your other part of your question. No they will not be in this story. I'm not saying I don't like them it's just that they don't fit into the story line.

Hopefully it is sort of cleared up. Lol. If any of you guys have anymore questions please do not feel hesitant to ask. I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities. Also there will be LOTS and LOTS of talking, so this chapter may be pretty boring. But hopefully it will get more exciting in the next chapter! On with the story!...After the other things...

_Italics _equals thoughts

" " equals speaking

**bold** equals someone else speaking in their mind or their conscience.(this may not be in here most of the time but I figure why not put it in here so your prepared.)

Sephiroth: 27

Tifa: 23

* * *

_**When Bonds Are Formed**_** - Chapter 2**

After a good and thankfully dreamless sleep, Tifa was back to her normal self. The voice had left from her mind and it didn't seem to be coming back(but she still wanted to know who it was). Also, Cloud was put on the back burner for a change. She still had her moments when she wished he would come back and confess his undying love for her, but she knew this was a hopeless cause. Nothing seemed to fill the void she seemed to have inside. Loneliness was still an emotion that clung to her, and became her one and only companion. She wished to talk to someone, even if it was just to say 'hi.'

She knew she could call Yuffie for anything, but Tifa didn't really want to talk to her at the moment.

"Too loud." she said with a hint of laughter.

Unless she wanted to hear nothing but curses and profanities, Tifa crossed off Cid on her mental list. She thought about Vincent but soon realized he didn't have a phone.

_And plus, I don't think he would want to be disturbed with my petty problems. But that man defiantly needs to get a phone._

Her last person on her list was Barret. She thought she could possibly talk to Marlene and Denzel. Oh how she longed to hear their voices again. Deciding who she was going to call, she got dressed in her normal attire(A/N: The one from FF7: AC) but this time she put her hair in a high ponytail, letting a few pieces of hair frame her face. She smiled a bit at her reflection in the mirror and walked down the hall, down the stairs, and to a phone by the bar.

Picking up the phone she dialed Barret's number. It rang a couple of times before the line was picked up on the other end.

"If this is another prank call, I will come over a shoot you in the face!"

Tifa silently laughed to herself, her shoulders shaking in her mirth.

"Well hello to you too Barret. How are you?"

There was a small gasp and then laughter that rang so loudly in her ears that she had to pull back the phone and rub her ears, afraid she might lose her hearing.

_Sheesh. Could he get any louder?_

Placing the phone back on her ear, she listened to what Barret was saying.

"I'm doin' well. But I suppose you were calling to talk to Marlene and Denzel?"

Tifa smiled.

"Nothing gets past you. But it is nice to hear a familiar voice."

Barret nodded.

"Yeah, yeah it is. Let me get Marlene."

Tifa heard Barret yelling for Marlene. There was a thud of footsteps as they came rushing down the stairs.

"Talk to Tifa. Yes Tifa is on the phone. Didn't you just hear me?" she heard Barret say to his daughter. She could just hear the roll of the eyes in Marlene's voice as she answered her father.

"Yes."

She heard the click of the phone being passed off.

"Hello!"

"Hello Marlene."

The girl squealed in pure delight.

"Tifa! How are you?!"

Tifa laughed quietly.

"I'm doing well. So how old are you now Marlene?"

"I'm 10! How old are YOU Tifa?"

Tif loved hearing Marlene. She made you smile even when you felt you could never smile again.

"Well I'm 23 now. Enough about ages, how is Denzel?"

She heard a giggle.

"He's all boring now that he's 14. I can't believe its been three years Tifa! I miss you!"

Tifa's face fell.

"I miss you as well. I think the customers are getting riled up, so I am going to have to let you go. I hope to talk to you soon. Say bye to Barret and hi to Denzel for me."

"Okay," Tifa could hear the saddness from Marlene's voice. Tifa's eyes took on a saddened glint. "Bye Tifa."

"Bye Marlene."

She waited till she heard the other line click telligng her no one else was on the other line. She gently placed the phone back into its receiver. She kept her hand on the phone for a moment before a shout broke the silence and made Tifa look up, her eyes wider from surprise. She ran over to the door and unlocked the door so the customers could come in. As she went back to the bar counter she felt her left pocket, and could feel the bump of her gloves.

She sighed and looked up at the first customer.

_You never know what might happen._

But though that was what she convinced her mind to think, she really knew the reason they were in her pocket was because she needed to be reassured, that not everything in her life changed.

* * *

Sephiroth had exited the cave with Masamune sheathed, but a hand on its hilt just in case it needed to be used quickly. He still felt weak but not as weak as before, while he was in the pod-like thing. His eyes cool and calculating, Sephiroth scanned the area he was in. 

**You never know what might happen, **said a female voice in his head.

He put a hand to his temple to ease the headache that emerged suddenly.

_Who are you, and what are you doing in my head?_

But whatever had softly entered his mind had left. His eyes narrowed a hair. As his headache ended he could feel a twinge of sadness enter his body, though he knew he was not the source of it. Something had happened to him while he was sleeping, and he didn't like it. It was like he was connected to something, or, someone.

Putting the thought in the back of his mind to be delt with later, he walked out into the barren wasteland.

"Why are men so difficult?"

Sephiroth turned his head to see nothing but the wind. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought himself going insane. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his katana, while walking to who knows where. As he walked on, a misty shadow formed where he had originally been standing just moments before. It took shape and became the form of himself. The only diffrence was that the eyes were a crimson red.

"You are not going crazy, though I must say you already did that once."

Sephiroth turned fully around to see himself smirking at him.

"Who are you?"

"It's amazing that you can ask a question and yet sound so cold. You are truly talented."

The crimson-eyed Sephiroth clapped their hands and they suddenly changed into Cloud.

"But of course, you seem to be pretty dense when it comes to how the mind works."

Sephiroth pulled out Masamune, and glared at the person who was now Cloud.

"What? Are you surprised? Surprised that I can change into your _worst _enemy but yet be so different? Or do you not know how to handle one such as I?"

The voice that sounded much like Cloud's sifted in its pitch, and became more feminine. As the voice changed so did the person, until a woman took Cloud's place.

The woman looked at him with a gentle yet firm stare.

"I come in peace, I promise. I just wanted to see how you would react to the different faces."

She flipped a piece of her raven colored hair over her shoulder. Upon her head was a pair of black ram's horns and a black jewel was embedded in her forehead. Sephiroth knew, for some reason, that she wasn't hostile but that still didn't mean he was going to treat her differently.

"Get to the point." he said emotionlessly.

She sighed, and put a hand to her forehead in mock exhaustion.

"Always the impatient one. I am Darkvel the Keeper of Illusions and Binds. You, my friend, have been chosen to help a poor woman in need of some company."

Sephiroth contemplated slicing her head off just for the heck of it. He hadn't killed anyone for awhile.

"Dear me! Trying to kill me already! I say!"

Sephiroth didn't like that she seemed to know what he was thinking.

"I will not help a pathetic woman."

Darkvel rolled her eyes.

"Too bad. You have to. The bind has already been placed."

Before he could say or do anything she had disappeared.

**Head for Midgar. If you do not, the bind will tighten till you do what I say.**

He narrowed his eyes at the familiar voice in his head.

**And no glaring, **Darkvel said playfully in Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth sheathed his sword in irritation. He had no idea what this 'bind' was nor did he want to. But he was still, if you could call it that, curious as to why his feet were taking him to Midgar when he was going to head nowhere near Midgar.

He figured he might as well head there. He could kill anyone who dared to defy him. He might not want to ride the cosmos' anymore but that still didn't mean he had to be all happy and joyous. It just wasn't him anyways. And no one knew him better than himself.

* * *

Tifa had decided to close her bar early so she could relax and enjoy sitting by her fireplace to watch the fire crackle as the air outside grew nippy and chilling. 

_That storm must have been the signal for winter. It is November after all. _

She had settled down on the sofa in a warm turtleneck sweater, that was of course black, and some blue jeans, with some black socks. She kept her eyes focused on the fire as she pulled her legs gently so that they bent at the knee and rested on the sofa. She brought a cup of hot chocolate to her lips and blew on its hot surface, trying to cool it down a bit. Sighing, in a more content attitude, she drank her chocolate in silence. The only thing that made a noise was the fire as it cracked in the fireplace.

She glanced out the window to see snow flakes gently starting to fall.

"I suppose dinner is in order. Good thing I went to the grocery shop earlier."

Setting the mug down she rose from the sofa and started walking towards the kitchen. She froze when the dark presence hung in the air again. She looked around suspiciously, trying to pinpoint the source.

**He is coming. He is near. **

Tifa furrowed her brows in confusion. It wasn't the voice from earlier but instead a female voice.

_Who are you? Why are you in my head?_

The voice laughed gently.

**My name is of no importance as of yet. I have come to warn and guide you.**

_Warn me of what? Lead me to where?_

The voice laughed again.

**It seems you need to learn a bit of patience as well. What is with these inpatient people? All will be explained when he comes. For once he heeded someone's advice. I don't know whether to be flattered or cautious.**

"Oh I have a headache."

The voice disappeared from her mind and the presence lifted. She grabbed her head a bit. The headache grew stronger.

"What's happening to me?!"

She fell to her knees.

"You are weak."

Tifa felt her headache disappear and her mind was soothed for some reason once the voice spoke.

_That voice..._

"Sephiroth?!"

She spun around after getting up. Her eyes were wide with both fear and curiosity.

"I thought you were dead? Wait, I _know _your dead. I saw you die!"

She looked at him while he leaned against her door, eyes closed, his arms folded in front of his chest. He snapped his eyes open.

"You will tell me."

Tifa furrowed her eyebrows as she prepared for him to strike.

"Tell you what?"

"He wants to know why he can't move from that spot. Simple really." a female voice said.

Tifa snapped her head in the direction of a tall woman standing to the left of Tifa. She was smiling, and a hint of mischief in her eyes. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes by a hair at her.

"Darkvel."

Darkvel laughed at him.

"I am so flattered. You remembered my name."

Tifa forgot about Sephiroth for a moment and focused her attention on the woman named Darkvel. Darkvel looked at her.

"No need to tense up. I come not to harm you. I give you my word."

Just like Sephiroth had experienced, she felt she could believe her. Though Tifa was a bit more willing. Just then she remembered Sephiroth.

"Oh no."

She looked at him to see him glaring at Darkvel, with his sword drawn but he did not move from his spot by the door. Darkvel sighed.

"I suppose you couldn't be less violent, could you?"

"Wait. You were the voice in my head a few minutes ago?"

The woman bowed.

"The very same. Names Darkvel as Sephiroth said. I am the Keeper of Illusions and Binds. As well as a few other things."

She winked at Tifa who raised an eyebrow at her.

"You control binds?"

Darkvel cocked her hip to the side and put a hand on her hip, while smiling gently.

"Yes, binds. I can bind two people together both physically and mentally. I can bind your memories so you forget them and I could unbind them as well."

Sephiroth sheathed his sword and rested against the door again.

"Explain what you have done, witch."

Darkvel sighed dramatically.

"If you so wish to know then it is done."

She smirked, and snapped her fingers, and suddenly they weren't standing in a bar anymore but a cave. Tifa looked around in shock.

"Don't worry. We have not left your bar. You are just seeing an illusion so I can better get my point across."

Sephiroth just stood there in irritation, though no one knew it.

"Now then, it started when I found you, Sephiroth, lying in the middle of a cave. The members of AVALANCHE did in a way _kill _you, Sephiroth but not completely," The scene changed to Sephiroth turning back into Kadaj when Cloud had defeated him for the second time. "You were just transported to a different spot to recuperate. But the place you chose to heal yourself was near my domain. I went to find the source of the thing that seemed to be making me feel uneasy.

From there I unlocked your memories, trying to find out the reason you were there, and your memories gave me the information that I needed. But passing my glance of your memories, Sephiroth, was a woman who seemed lost, alone, but yet courageous and strong of heart. There was a bond that seemed to shine brightly when I saw both of you. So in reality, I did not originally create the bond or bind that now holds you together. You did."

Tifa was puzzled. She didn't know what to think, feel, or believe.

"A bond?" she muttered to herself.

Sephiroth snorted quietly.

"Yes, Tifa. A bond. The only thing I did was make the bond stronger, feeding off the energy already created. You looked puzzled Tifa. I should explain more what a bond is I suppose."

Darkvel snapped her fingers and a new scene took place. They were floating in the heavens, Tifa moved in a circle to get the full view of the cosmos. The stars light up her pale face making her seem to glow softly. Sephiroth still kept his eyes on Darkvel, watching her every move.

"A bond, is a thing that binds people, and things, together. Whether physic or mental it is still a bond of sorts. I am the keeper of these bonds. Some bonds have already been created, such in your case, and all they need is a bit of aid to get them to be noticed. Normally bonds of this stature are created by two strong willed people, whether good or evil," She looked at Tifa then Sephiroth as the last sentence was spoken.

"This bond could be the reason why Sephiroth is still quite alive. Because the bond you formed, Tifa, unwillingly, kept him alive because you were very much alive, giving him strength to go on. Another kind of bond is the bond that must be formed by me or any other Keeper of Binds. These bonds are completely in our control. We can decide when they disappear and when they form. But yours, Tifa and Sephiroth, I can not control. I made the bind stronger, yes, but because I did not originally create the bind I can not undo it. It is too strong a magic." She paused in her speech to see if they were listening or not. Thankfully, she had both of their attention and they seemed to be listening.

"The last bond I will tell you of is the bind that is a lasting bind. A bind that neither you nor I can create. This bind is a bind that no one can control nor can they remove it. Though how this bind is placed I do not know. But if you have a lasting bind, then you would forever be attached, either physically or mentally, possibly both. You would die at the same time, and live at the same time. What I can tell you is that you do _not _have this sort of bind. But yours is very strong.

Now I know you both do not _wish _for any bind but I can not fix this. If you want to remove this bind, you must travel to the far North. There you will meet Shiva. She is master of all magic. She will help you break the bond, _if _it is not already broken."

Tifa looked up at the stars with wonder then back down at Darkvel.

"What do you mean, 'already broken.'"

Darkvel sighed.

"There is one other way to break the bond you now posses. And that is to break it yourselves. You can do this by completing what the bond was set there to do. You see, all bonds are created for a reason, known or unknown. If you know the bond's purpose then you can find a way to break the bond. Only when you fulfill the purpose of the bind will it lift. Before you ask, I do not know what the bond's purpose was for the both of you because I did not create it. You two did.

Therefore you must find it on your own. And fulfill it accordingly."

"Why was I in a pod?"

Tifa jumped a little startled when she heard Sephiroth's deep voice speak.

"You were in a pod because I placed you there to give you time to heal quicker. Besides, I needed to erase your memories for the time being, just in case something happened while the bond was being strengthened. So when you touched your sword and said its name, only then would your memories come back to you."

Tifa looked at Darkvel, a question written in her face.

"Um, why did I have voices in my head? And then a dark presence would enter the room, and a headache would occur."

Darkvel looked passively at Tifa.

"Side affects. When I formed the bond, a void was made temporally between the two of you. Meaning when you got a voice inside your head and someone spoke in your head, was a side affect, because your mind was opened to the other person you were bound to. The dark presence you felt was just because Sephiroth has a over bearing sense of malice and hate. Making the room feel dark. The headache happened because you were not used to having someone with such a presence enter your mind. That is why you experienced the same thing with me. Though my presence was dark because I had to tap into Sephiroth's mind to get to yours, making my presence dark.

Don't let him fool you, he experienced the same thing you did, only milder. His headache was less and he felt no presence only emotion that was not his to feel. It is strange knowing your feeling something that you know your not really feeling, but being manipulated to feel."

She snapped her fingers again and the room went back to being the boring bar. Well to Tifa it felt boring considering she had witnessed quite an amazing thing.

"One more thing you need to know before I leave you to your own devices. If you kill her Sephiroth, then you die as well. Because your bond is strong, you two can read each other's minds if you so wish it. Sometimes your thoughts will leak into the other persons head unintentionally. So be careful what you think. If one of you is wounded, then so is the other, maybe not as strong but you will still feel what they feel. You two _must _work as a team to survive. If one of you strays to far ahead of the other, the bind on the other will tighten, slowly killing them.

There is no more I can or shall explain. The rest you must discover on your own. You have ben given a path but only you can decided whether to take it or not. I wish you the best. May you journey safely."

Before anything could be done, she had disappeared from sight.

"**I shall keep my eye on you two. I may be in the form of something else, but I will still be there." **

Her voice rang out and bounced across the walls and their minds.

As Tifa slowly glanced at Sephiroth, she couldn't help but feel that lack of adventure was not going to be a problem any longer.

* * *

And there you have it! The second chapter in my story! Hopefully I did not disappoint! See-ya later! 

_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_


	3. Irritations and Annoyances

**Title:** _When Bonds Are Formed_

**By: **_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_

**Rating: **G or PG.

**Notes:** I looked at the date I had last updated and went, "Oh my gosh! I need to write a new chapter! I saw a few misspells in the last chapter so I have to go back and change those. But right now I need to focus on THIS chapter. Hope you all have a Happy New Years and I hope you had a Merry Christmas!

_Italics _equals thoughts

" " equals speaking

**bold **equals someone else speaking in their mind or their conscience.

Sephiroth: 27

Tifa: 23

* * *

_**When Bonds Are Formed**_** - Chapter 3**

"You know you could slow down a bit. I'm freezing my butt off back here." Tifa said with exhaustion, as a shiver ran up her spine in the winter chill.

Sephiroth paid her no head and instead turned his head to look at the forest line. Tifa knew he was deliberately ignoring her. She could sense it in his aura. And what an aura it was.

_Keep it together, Tif. Keep it together._

"Stop talking in your head. Your thoughts easily filter into mine." Sephiroth said with disdain.

Tifa blushed a bit.

_Creepy._

"Highly."

Tifa pouted and stomped her foot.

"Would you _stop_! I don't _enjoy _you listening in on my thoughts!"

Sephiroth disappeared and then reappeared behind Tifa, his sword flush against her neck. He growled a bit. He was so close, Tifa could feel his breath on her throat.

"I may not be able to _kill _you, but I suggest you watch what you say. I don't enjoy listening to your mind ramble about utter nonsense."

Tifa felt sweat roll down her face. She reached for her gloves in pure instinct to a threat. Sephiroth sensed this, and grabbed her hand and moved it back to her side, while releasing her from his hold.

"I wouldn't, unless you have forgotten who you deal with." He said with a smirk enticed voice, though none graced his face.

Tifa backed away from him.

"You started it."

"Did I?" he said with questioning coldness as an eyebrow rose, the only physical response she received.

Tifa couldn't hold his gaze, and looked away. She knew he was right. If she wouldn't have opened her mouth none of what transpired would have occurred. _But that still doesn't make it right to try and cut my head off for no reason_, she thought bitterly. She then realized what she thought and looked at Sephiroth with caution, expecting to be glared at like no tomorrow...or worse.

She noticed he was looking around in an alert manner, checking the surrounding, not seemingly noticing her thoughts. She sighed in gratefulness.

**Will she ever shut up, **a voice said in an annoyed tone, as it entered her mind. Tifa looked over at Sephiroth.

"Well I never!" Her gratefulness was lost.

He glanced at her and realized she had heard his thought. He sighed.

"Ridiculous." he muttered to himself.

Tifa huffed and walked off towards the spot Sephiroth said earlier would be their resting place.

_How could a _bond _be made between _us? _Who's _bright_ idea was this anyways? I mean really? Darkvel says _we _created it. I doubt that entirely._

Tifa rolled her eyes as she thought about the prospect of the "bond" that was made between the male _companion_ who would rather see her cut up into little pieces than help her in any way.

"You do realize you are heading in the wrong direction."

Tifa was so busy complaining in her head that she had totally forgotten where she was walking. She blushed a bit in embarrassment, and turned around to see Sephiroth with a smirk that practically shouted "holier than thou." She hoped the blush that stained her cheeks was passed off as only being cold, which for a bit of information, she was.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. I wasn't the one about to fall off a cliff." Sephiroth stated with cold sarcasm.

Tifa furrowed her brows and looked where she was heading and gasped. He was right. She was on a one way track off a cliff! If he hadn't said anything she would have been falling down a cliff, instead of standing around, looking like a total and complete idiot.

She looked back at Sephiroth, who was sitting on a log looking at the darkening sky with no facial expressions what so ever. Tifa walked over to where he was. He looked down, but did not move from his position on the log.

"Done thinking are we?"

Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, chatter box, I am."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes a bit, "What was that?"

Tifa smirked.

"You seem to be talking a lot more. Now granted not in a happy tone but it does seem unnatural for you, so I have noticed through the years of fighting you."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes discreetly, and Tifa received no response for her inquisition. Sephiroth thought the conversation had gone on long enough. He stood and began walking in the _right_ direction. Tifa rolled her eyes, and simply followed him, content on leaving him be for the moment. It was strange, Tifa noted, that she seemed more comfortable with Sephiroth now that this "bond" had formed between them.

_Maybe because my life is not on the line._

She laughed quietly to herself. Sephiroth glanced at her slightly over his shoulder, then turned back to focus on what was ahead. He stopped short of their destination and Tifa soon found out why. Their was a unknown presence making its way towards them.

"I suggest you prepare, Lockhart."

Tifa grimaced at the usage of her name, but ignored it for the time being. She pulled out her gloves and put them on, a slight bit of nostalgia flashing through her mind as she prepared. Shaking her head to be rid of such thoughts, she got in a fighting stance, her back facing Sephiroth, who had yet to draw his sword. Just when Tifa was about to relax her guard, 5 monsters emerged from the trees. Tifa not expecting this, got caught in the fray of claws. She got scratched multiple times but quickly recovered with a double back flip to escape the fray of battle.

Narrowing her eyes, she charged the group of monsters, and as she did so she caught a glimpse of Sephiroth fighting his own monsters, with much ease and grace in his movements. She knocked out 2 of the 5 monsters. Grabbing another by the throat before it could do any damage, she threw it into another one to have them both collapse on one another, out cold. The last was a bit more of a challenge considering it seemed more wary than the others, but she had little time to contemplate a plan considering a very, _very _long katana came flying past her, to hit the monster in the heart, killing it in an instant.

She turned around to see Sephiroth standing there, monsters scattered all around him, dead or dying. He walked over to her, and pulled his sword out with unmatched grace. He walked over to the four monsters and slaughtered them so they would and could not be a problem later on.

She winced as she grabbed her left arm. It was in pain, because of the cuts she had all up her arm because of her carelessness before. She noticed that Sephiroth has his leather sleeve on his left arm torn in the same places as her, but no blood flowed from the wounds unlike hers. He looked at her coldly.

"Lockhart."

Tifa knew he was referring to his sleeve. She smile sheepishly and shrugged a bit.

"Sorry about that." But it was no use, Sephiroth was ignoring her on purpose, and in no way planning on helping her out with her scratched up arm. She glanced down at said appendage, to see that the bleeding had stopped.

"Good." she sighed.

Sephiroth was already making his way towards the small cave up ahead, his hair flowing gently behind his back as the wind picked up, causing Tifa to squint as snow flakes were flung into her face and eyes, stinging them.

"Can't wait, can he?"

By the time Tifa had made it to the cave, Sephiroth was in the process of making a fire. He glanced at her for a moment, but other than that, ignored her completely. Tifa rolled her eyes and sat down, content on letting the _man _handle the fire, while she sat down and addressed her wounds. None were major so she would be fine.

"How's your arm?" Tifa asked Sephiroth after the fire was made, and Sephiroth had sat down to polish his sword.

He didn't even bother looking up at her or give her the _pleasure_ of a response. She sighed and got up, walking towards the edge of the cave.

"Thanks." she said as she referred to the help with the monsters from before.

Sephiroth still didn't look up at her.

"I don't help you because I want to. I do it because it is a necessity." He finally said after a great pause in speech from either one.

Tifa shivered, but not at the cold weather, but because of the disdain and coldness that coated his deep, smooth, velvety..._oh boy_, was Tifa's thought as her mind wandered aimlessly about his voice. She _had _to admit he was handsome for a man who wanted to kill just about, scratch that, everyone. It was _quite _obvious actually. Though his hair a bit feminine in length, it wouldn't have been the same without his hair the way it was. If she would have looked behind her she would have noticed a knowing smirk form on Sephiroth's face.

Tifa decided she needed to pull her thoughts out of the gutter. She rubbed her eyes in exasperation. She heard the click of a sword being sheathed, and Tifa sighed as she looked back at Sephiroth, who was at the time, adding firewood to the fire to keep it aflame. She walked back over to the fire and sat down to relish in its warmth. Sephiroth looked at Tifa, for the first time in awhile.

"Hungry?" Though this was said in a question form it had no curious tone but instead a cold contempt towards Tifa, or anyone really. She blushed a bit when she realized her stomach had betrayed her, with loud annoying noises.

"N-no." Gosh, why did she always sound like she was nervous. Tifa sighed inwardly.

Sephiroth rose an eyebrow at her with a look that clearly said 'of course not.' She looked up at him.

"Thanks for the concern." She said mockingly knowing full well he didn't really care.

He stood up and walked out into the cold weather. Tifa glanced at him, wondering what he was doing. She voiced this thought, "The point of going outside is..."

"To freeze." He stated.

Tifa rolled her eyes to heaven. "Have fun with that."

She laid down on the hard surface, which had rocks that poked at her in different angles. She sighed, and turned trying to get as comfortable as possible.

"It would have been easier if _someone _had let me get things to bring along."

As she faced the fire, looking into its hypnotizing gaze, she thought of all that was happening to her in such a short amount of time.

_Sephiroth. Now an ally...of some sort. What has the world come to. I still get apprehensive around him but I guess that's normal. I mean he _did _try to kill us. And not once but _twice. _But why him. Why _him. _Why not..._

She stopped her line of thoughts, not liking where they were heading. She lifted her head to still see no Sephiroth.

"Was he being serious about freezing. He better not have. You can never tell with him! Darnit."

She quickly stood up, running to the edge of the cave. It had been a while and he _still _wasn't at the cave. She knew if he froze to death she would surely die.

_Oi vey. _

She placed a delicate hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes trying to think positive thoughts about the situation. She opened her eyes to see the snow had stopped falling, fortunately. But _un_fortunatelythe foot-prints that would have lead right to him were no where to be seen. Just before she was about to go looking for Sephiroth, she heard the crunch of snow being pushed down by weight. Though the crunch was particularly soft, either because of stealthy feet or because the animal or person was light in weight. She rose her fists waiting for a monster to come but soon found said man she was looking for earlier, approach the cave.

He rose an eyebrow at her when he saw her stance. He walked past her and threw down a few hares. She walked around him, to see some food to be cooked and eaten. She glanced up at him with curiosity.

"For me?"

He simply dipped his head a bit in a sort-of 'yes' gesture. She looked back at the meal then back at him.

"This doesn't look like enough for both of us." she said noticing the shortage of meat.

Sephiroth looked at her blankly, "I do not eat as often as you. Being trained in the art of war I can last many days without eating, and still be strong and healthy." he said with a matter of fact voice. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Okay then. Aren't you cold? I mean that coat doesn't really do you any good, with it not being buttoned and all, and there not being a shirt under it." She said and then realized what she implied.

_Oh...my...gosh. Did I just imply I look at his chest often. Oh...my...gosh._

She turned to see him look down at his chest then back at her with an eyebrow raised and a smirk evident. She tried to fix what was said but only succeed in digging herself further into an early grave.

"Wait, I mean...that doesn't mean I look there often..I mean...um...it's just noticeable...that's all. Not that I look." She could have slapped herself for her sheer stupidity.

Sephiroth chose then to interrupt her.

"As much fun as it is to see you ramble about nothing, I believe you should stop. To answer your _question,_" he smirked as he said 'question' earning Tifa a slight blush at what she had said, "I do not get cold as easily as _you._ I have a higher resilience."

He left it at that and walked off towards the back of the cave and sat down, leaning against the cave wall, his eyes closed. Tifa noticed that the hares were already skinned she just needed to cook them.

_Never really had hare before. But I guess now's a good a time as any to try it._

By the time she had cooked and enjoyed her meal, it was night time. Tifa glanced over at Sephiroth to see him in the same position as before.

_He must have dozed off._

Sephiroth still lay silent and quiet, but to Tifa it looked fake in a way.

_Is he really asleep or is he pretending? _

She rose from her position by the fire and walked towards the edge of the cave deciding to leave him be.(A/N: Who thought she was going to go check?)

_Hopefully we get to Shiva's soon. If I'm correct it's still a months journey at this pace._

Tifa looked out at the snow laden land and sighed. The peaceful silence seemed strained, and the cold night seemed even colder and harsh. She blamed it on _him. _

_Even the world knows he's back. _

Those were some of the last thoughts that filtered through her tired head as she laid down to let sleep envelope her, the only thing to lull her to sleep was the sound of her own memories playing like a broken record in her head.

* * *

Fluttering open heavy laden eyes, Tifa blinked, trying to adjust to the sun's rays beating down on her face. 

"Hmm." She said her voice still groggy from sleeping.

She heard something moving behind her, and she shot up into a sitting position and looked behind her to see...Sephiroth? She blinked and then she felt memories of yesterday filter through her head and she sighed dramatically.

_Oh yeah..._

She had forgotten for a moment in time the whole reason why she was _in _a cave to begin with. Sephiroth was examining his sleeve when Tifa looked at him again.

"So you _do _care that your sleeve was ripped."

He looked at her blankly. Tifa smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry won't cut it will it?"

He stood from his sitting position, back reclined on the cold, damp, cave wall.

"No." was his simple reply.

Tifa sighed again and stood up as well. Maybe now his ego meter would drop a few points. Not like she was counting or anything. Never...

"Quit daydreaming. We have land to cover."

Tifa snapped out of her wandering thoughts and nodded. He rose an eyebrow at her but walked out of the cave anyways, expecting her to follow suit.

* * *

Tifa groaned, "It's been hours, Sephiroth. Even _I _can't walk this long without a small break." 

She was getting pissed that he thought he was high and mighty and that she could not compare to him in stamina, endurance, and that she couldn't stand the long, long hours of travel(without a break). Granted she could walk hours without being tired but it only lasted for so long. She was still human after all. Sephiroth...she wasn't so sure. And she wasn't talking about his genetic mutation.

_He could be superman for all I care. But _I _need a break._

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, though this was not noted by Tifa who was at this point struggling through the snow that had decided to go above three feet in height the night before. It was then that she fell face first into the snow pile. Sephiroth rubbed his temples in annoyance, and walked back over to where she was, easily walking through the supposed "barrier of snow" as _she _like to put it.

A groan was heard as well as a few curses, and much mumbling about evil snow piles that wish her death.

"Get up Lockhart."

Tifa looked up at him, and spit out snow, trying to reach his face, but failing miserably. Sephiroth sighed in irritation and pulled her up, tired of waiting for her to move her butt.

"Hey! I am fully capable getting up myself!" She pulled from his grasp and dusted the snow off of her.

He only walked away, leaving her to her own devices. She would yell at him no matter what he did. 'Slow down', 'Speed up.' It was becoming very antagonizing, and he was ready to cut her head off, not caring whether or not he survived.

_When this bond is broken, her head comes off._

He made the oath to kill her the moment they were separated, and his life wasn't in jeopardy. He could hear her grumbling to herself. He knew he went practically insane before, but _she,_ oh, _she_, was insane more so than _he _was, just in different ways.

"Shut. Up." He couldn't _take _it anymore. She was _talking _to herself and he was getting tired of hearing her obnoxious voice talk, especially to her imaginary friend named Carl. So, Carl was someone he made up to make his point more justified, but _still. _Who _was _she talking too? Obviously it wasn't him.

Tifa snapped out of grumblings about silver haired freaks and glared at Sephiroth.

"No." she said with defiance.

He sighed inwardly and stopped. Maybe it was a break she wanted, and this was her annoying way of asking, considering he ignored her last attempt of trying to get a break. Tifa stopped as well and looked up at him(darn his taller height.)

"What is it now?" She was cold, wet, and irritated. She had, had enough of his stupid games of messing with her brain. Now most of the time it was herself screwing up her own mind, but she couldn't admit _that_ out loud.

"Rest." Was all he said in reply to her loving comment. Note the sarcasm.

"Thank you!" she said with actual gratitude in her voice.

She plopped down on ground not caring about the snow that enveloped her. Sephiroth was more smart about where he sat and placed his butt on a log, that conveniently was near where his _companion_ was. He looked up at the sky, observing it's grey skies.

_She will be the death of me._

Was he the only one who say the irony in this situation?

* * *

There it is! Another chapter. Not a _great_ chapter and what a _horrid _stopping point but whatever. At least I posted! Be proud of me people. Now go comment and I will not send hate mail to you. 

Lol, kidding, or am I?

_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_


	4. What's In a Name, Incompetence

**Title:** When Bonds Are Formed

**By:** mistress-of-fading-moon

**Rating:** G or PG

**Notes:** Okay I have found that you guys REALLY liked chapter 3 which has given me the fuel to write ANOTHER chapter for this story. I keep promising to write a new chapter for _Breaking His Stance _but I have to keep writing for this for awhile. I believe you guys deserve it!

Also _sooorrryyy_ for the long wait on this chapter. I've been busy these past few months and haven't had time for this or any of my others.

**Thank-You's:** Thank you guys for reviewing my story. And a special thank you to _Millenium Ring and Winchester_ for putting in all those parts you like! It really helps me know what parts you REALLY like. So thank you _Millenium_!

_Italics_ equals thoughts

" " equals speaking

**bold** equals someone else speaking in their mind or their conscience.

Sephiroth: 27

Tifa: 23

* * *

_**When Bonds Are Formed**_-** Chapter 4**

"Oh, how are they going to break the bond if they keep fighting like that?"

Shiva glanced at her apprentice, Darkvel.

"Have faith Darkvel. You may not know it but them fighting is bringing them closer together."

Darkvel looked at Shiva like she was the next plague.

"Amazing. But don't you think I could...I don't know..._do_ something to spice things up?" She said as she cocked her hip to the side and placed both hands on her hip.

Shiva sighed and stood from her ice created throne.

"You are still fairly young. Learn to be patient. Everything will come together in due time. Though it might not hurt to add some adventure to their life. My snow doesn't seem to be slowing down their progress at all." Shiva said as she rubbed her chin in thought.

Darkvel yelled at the scene played before them.

"Yeah because Mister Know-It-All doesn't _like _taking breaks!"

Shiva waved her hand lazily at Darkvel.

"It is his nature. He was trained for war, you must remember this Darkvel. It has been instilled into his very being. He may never fully change his ways."

Darkvel nodded but then looked at Shiva expectantly. Shiva smiled and shook her head as she sat back down on her throne.

"Fine, fine, Darkvel. You may do something. But don't make the situation worse, as you have a habit of doing."

Darkvel laughed nervously a bit but then disappeared. Shiva shook her head.

"She can be a handful sometimes."

* * *

"Do you know where your going? Or are you acting like a man and just pretending and won't ask for directions?"

They, in Tifa's mind, had been walking for hours and she thought she had seen that particular tree before. Sephiroth snorted quietly out his nose and looked back at Tifa.

"This coming from you? And who, pray tell, should I ask; the tree?" he said as he pointed to a large oak tree now covered in snow at its base.

Tifa glared at him.

"Hey _pal_ I do just fine with directions! I'm tired of your attitude and how you act towards me and anyone else for that matter."

Sephiroth stopped and Tifa got the hint that maybe she might have hit a weak point with him.

"And do _you _think you can change it?" He directed his question towards her though he was not looking at her.

She looked down. She chose not to answer. Sephiroth looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes by a hair.

"I thought not."

Tifa looked down at her feet, thinking them more interesting than Sephiroth, at the moment. Sephiroth's fingers curled into a fist, and his shoulders tensed for a moment, before relaxing(as much as Sephiroth relaxed anyways.)

"I'm-I...apologize. I went over the line there and..." Sephiroth turned to look at her.

"Don't apologize for something you're not really sorry for."

Tifa glared up at him, but then sighed.

"I suppose you're right. Deep down...I'm not really sorry but that still doesn't make it right."

Sephiroth simply ignored her and went on ahead, but then he stopped.

"Hurry up."

Tifa crossed her arms as a sign of shelter and protection, hoping to warm the feeling of being frozen inside, and out.

* * *

It had been hours later before Sephiroth decided a break was in order, and that was because Tifa was nagging at him to stop. He grew tired of her saying to him, "Sephiroth. Sephiroth stop. I need to rest. Sephiroth, are you listening to me?..." And it would go on and on _and_ on. He just decided to appease her for her sake as well as his(as well as his sanity, he had already lost it _once_, he didn't need to lose it _again_!)

To be honest he was getting tired. He just assumed it was because she wouldn't stop nagging at him.

"Finally!" Tifa said as she sat down on the log, next to Sephiroth.

She had learned the last time that sitting on the snow was a _horrible_ idea.

"What finally made you stop? Cause I _know_ it wasn't out of the kindness of your heart."

"How do you know that isn't the case?" he asked.

Tifa stopped for a moment and looked at him. But when she looked at him she saw a smirk forming on his lips. She narrowed her eyes and growled at him.

"You-you jerk! How was _I_ supposed to know you were kidding!?"

"You say you know me so well, you should have known it to be false." Tifa sighed in her palm.

"I give up talking to you."

"Good."

Tifa didn't know why, but that hurt a bit. Being told not to talk because you were annoying was one thing, but being told not to talk because they didn't care normally didn't bring such a pleasant side-affect.

_What makes him so angry? I mean sure Sephiroth was experimented on and he had a justification to be mad...but to kill almost everything. What does it feel like to be told everything you lived for was a lie?_

Sephiroth glared at her a bit. Tifa looked at him and jumped back a bit.

"What?"

Instead of answering her he chose to ignore her inquisitive question.

"What is it?"Tifa said more irritated.

"Try stabbing yourself in the heart and then have it be stabbed into you further slowly, by the people you thought you trusted, then you will _begin_ to understand." Sephiroth said coldly.

Tifa looked up at him, when he stood to find shelter.

"Why are you talking to me so much? I mean...I thought you hated people."

He got up in her face, his face still passive.

"I do. And I hate you the most."

"Even more than Cloud?"

"Even more than Cloud."

He straightened himself up and walked off, Tifa suddenly burst into fits of laughter, and Sephiroth looked at her in a strange way.

"What is it now."

"You make me laugh sometimes. You're always so serious! Lighten up a bit!" Tifa said, her earlier sadness and wondering gone.

"I think you're enough of a thorn in my side."

_Like _I_ need to go crazy too_, Sephiroth thought sarcastically as he walked away.

* * *

Shiva turned her head wondering what was going on in their heads, as she gazed passively at the two figures in her ice mirror.

"One minute their fighting, and the next they act almost human to one another. What a strange pair." Shiva muttered to herself.

"But a cute one." Darkvel said in a mischievous voice.

"What have you planned to do, young one?" Darkvel sighed and shrugged.

"That's the problem. I have no idea."

"Of course you don't. Where did you go then?"

"I went to my home to see if I could think of something but it didn't work."

Shiva looked at Darkvel for the first time and she frowned.

"What shall I do with you," she said to Darkvel, then looked away and muttered, "Toss you into a batch of acid I suppose."

"Hey! That's not nice! I don't threaten you with acid!"

Shiva's eyes flashed an icy blue, "Because you couldn't, and it would be unwise, don't you agree Darkvel?" she said harshly.

Darkvel gulped and nodded, calm again.

"Yes."

"Good. You must learn to watch your tongue. It shall get you in trouble." Shiva said gently, lowering her harsh tone from before.

Standing from her ice throne, she waved her hand lazily and the mirror changed into a scene from a village, a man and two kids walking outside, heading to a grocery shop, the kid running around the man, making him rub his forehead in exasperation.

"Force them to this village. The three of them will aid in our plan greatly." Shiva spoke regally, as she walked away, her hips swaying. Before she exited she stopped and looked at Darkvel, "Do not fail. I will send an avalanche their way, make sure they are their when it happens."

Darkvel nodded and disappeared, thanking God she was spared from Shiva's wrath.

* * *

"Sephiroth, do you know where we are going?"

"Yes, in a direction." he said in a deadpan voice. _She asks this every _time_ we pass a tree_, Sephiroth thought, clearly irritated.

Tifa sighed, not aware of the thought that quietly passed through her mind.

_I give up._

Sephiroth stopped and put a hand on his hilt. Tifa stopped as well.

"What is it?" The cold was lowering her ability to sense things and she was annoyed by it.

"Monsters. Prepare, Lockhart."

Tifa nodded and pulled out her gloves, this time prepared for anything, unlike the last time. A blood curdling roar broke the eerie silence.

"That's not 'monsters' it's _a_ 'monster'!"

"No. There is more than one," just as he spoke three more roars followed the first.

"What are they?" Tifa said, nervous. She hadn't had to face anything bigger than her for awhile.

"Draeons."

"A what? Do you mean 'dragons'?"

"No, Draeons, they are a breed of dragon and eagles."

Tifa nodded and held her position, no mutated freak was going to kill her. And she hated to say it but she had Sephiroth. He was much stronger than her. He would be able to kill them, right? She shook her head and concentrated on the snowy trees that reminded Tifa of a coat of silky lace.

Sephiroth pulled out his katana with grace unmatched. He held it with one hand and held the blade to the side, his reflection materializing on the flat side of the katana, while he waited for his time to strike.

Four rattles shook their bodies violently, making Tifa stagger a bit. Sephiroth just stood there, unaffected by such petite tremors. Four icy looking dragon heads with feathers coating their necks, shoot up and glared at them. As they broke the tree line, Tifa gasped. Their were only two monsters, but with two heads a piece.

One of the monsters roared and lowered its head, turning slightly to examine the two of them. It's cold eye then went from curiosity to a hard glare, snapping its head back it roared at the other head on its body. The other one looked at them and a frown crossed its face. It opened its mouth and Tifa thought she would have to jump out of the way from an ice attack, but was surprised when it started talking.

"Who are you people? And what are you doing in our forest?"

The other monster was a red color and glared at the blue one.

"Don't try and talk to them! They are intruders, kill them!"

"Do not be a fool, Finara. The man with the sword is strong. We would die almost instantly. Do not misjudge something because it is smaller than you."

Finara snorted and both heads glared down at the trespassers. Tifa looked at Sephiroth, who was sheathing his sword. She whispered harshly to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving."

He began walking off, not bothering to look back to see if Tifa was following. Tifa glanced at the two Draeons nervously, a cold sweat forming on her brow.

_For the love of Pete, why do I have to be the peace-maker!_

Waving at both monsters she bowed politely.

"Hello fine...creatures of the...forest. I am Tifa, guard of the Sword Master..." she said motioning towards Sephiroth as he kept walking away. She whispered harshly to him, "I could use some help here."

Sephiroth stopped and looked at her, "If you think I'm going to steep to your level and help you, you've got another thing coming." He paid no mind to quieting his voice, making the Draeons look suspiciously at Tifa the supposed "Guard of the Sword Master."

"Don't worry about the Sword Master...he's got a thorn in his-" She began pointing to her butt.

"Lockhart." Sephiroth warned.

"...Fine. He's not feeling good today. So he takes it out on his fellow man." Pouting Tifa waved her hands lazily trying to convince these monsters that she was innocent. Though she wouldn't mind if they toasted her _partner_. But then she realized that _that_ was a bad idea.

The blue, and what seemed like wiser, Draeon, rose an spiny eyebrow at her, its icy eyes curious as to the commotion and rambling this woman was mumbling to what seemed like no one.

"I am not sure I can believe you in this instance. So for that we can not let you pass either way."

"Yes, I concur." spoke Finara with pleasure, apparently enjoying the agony of others.

"Sephiroth clone." Tifa mumbled to herself as she looked at the Finara, the red Draeon.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes briefly and walked back towards Tifa.

_Incompetent, ill-mannered..._ he thought with annoyance, as he listed the words that described his companion.

"Can you do anything right?" he said to Tifa as he looked at the two Draeons who would not let them pass. He thought of killing them, but he wanted to see what his incompetent companion would do.

"Yes...I just can't list any at this moment in time. Try again later when I'm not in a crappy mood." She then looked back at the Draeons and noticed that one had moved to the place they were trying to leave from while the other one stayed to watch them from behind, making sure they didn't go back down the way they came up.

Just when Tifa was about to use the method known as, I-kick-your-butt-into-next-week, she heard a great rumbling and the earth beneath them began to shake.

"Do you feel that Sephiroth?" She said as her voice shook from vibrations.

"No, I thought it was someone massaging my feet."

"For once could you not talk to me in a sarcastic way!"

"No. I talk to everyone like this."

Tifa fell on her butt as a large vibration shook her to the ground. The two Draeons roared and hissed at the vibrations annoying their feet.

"It is an avalanche! We must leave! Finara, come!"

"What about the pesky humans?!"

"We leave them. They will be lucky if they survive. If they do, then they deserve to live."

"Fine."

Both Draeons stretched their membrane like wings to the sky and began lifting off the ground. As they disappeared from sight, Tifa felt like passing out.

"An avalanche! Oh for crying out loud!"

Sephiroth grabbed Tifa's forearm and began dragging her across the snow, trying to get her to move herself without having to say it.

"I can walk by myself, thank-you _very_ much!" she said as she pulled away from him and stood up. "What do we do now?"

"We run towards where the trees part."

"What part," Tifa looked to her right and saw trees cracking and groaning at the snows pressure as it plummeted down the large over bearing mountain, "never mind, you just lead the way!"

They began running towards the parting of trees, Tifa barely keeping up with Sephiroth(and she was one of the fastest runners in her whole group of friends.) Maybe it was the snow?

* * *

Shiva smiled as she saw her plan work. Darkvel had made the Draeons realize there was a intruder in their forest and Shiva had, as she promised, made an avalanche to keep them away from her mountain as part of a test to find the bind's true nature within themselves.

"Good, they have gone on a detour through the village. Now things will become more interesting."

Darkvel looked at Shiva, both afraid and excited as to what she had in store for them.

* * *

Yay...finally...it's done. I finished a new chapter! Sorry for the delay in writing. Hope you like this chapter. And I'd _love_ to hear what your favorite parts were! Review, review, review! Also, sorry for any spelling mistakes and such. I will try and look over it later and find any mistakes present.

_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_


	5. When Born a Hero

**When Bonds are formed**  
by: _mistress-of-the-fading-moon_

I've decided to change how I begin every chapter (as you can now see lol.) I think I just added too much info. I'll do stuff like that for the beginning chapter of new stories. After awhile you just get tired of writing it over and over again.

Sorry this has taken me… Months to do but I couldn't process my thoughts and every chance I got to do it…I forgot. XD Hope you will forgive the neglect on this story. I really hope to finish this one, because I love Advent Children so much. So after millions of years, I have finally added a new chapter.

Also, this chapter (after many reviews on this topic) will cover mainly Sephiroth thoughts and his spin on stuff. If this turns out well you may see this more in the future. I really wanted to make a chapter basically on him anyways. Because he just seems like he would have a lot on his mind. If what I say is not clear it will be when the chapter is read.

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER_:__ I do not own in any way the characters of this story, except for the plot and the words, and a few random original characters. All others are copyright to Square Enix and co._

P.S. All thank you comments will be made at the bottom of the page now. Also, I will thank you individually if I can.

CHAPTER 5  
_'When born a Hero, Do you dare contemplate your Fate?'_

* * *

"Sephiroth, where are we going?"

Sephiroth sighed quietly, he was enjoying the silence but alas it was broken by the one thing that seemed to be the bane of his existence. Tifa Lockhart.

"We are going to a village a few miles from here. Any other pointless questions you need to ask?"

"Yes, why are we walking off the path?"

She was sore all over and didn't want to have to take more time to go around the path just because Sephiroth didn't like to socialize.

Sephiroth sighed, loud enough for her to hear and he stopped, "If you want to lead the way then do so. I am in no mood to deal with your fetishes."

Tifa blinked. She stared intently at Sephiroth's back. His shoulders were straining to stay straight and his breathing was quicker as if he couldn't catch his breath. She wondered why. He was as fit as a horse when they had left Midgar and he was fine a few minutes ago. She wondered why all of the sudden, he was having a meltdown. He didn't express what was wrong in his voice. He was just as cold and uncaring as ever, but something was wrong. Terribly wrong. And Tifa couldn't quite place it.

Sephiroth didn't say a word but just suddenly sank to his knees, his body hunched as he clutched his side. Tifa, forgetting her grief's with Sephiroth, ran to him and sank down beside him, checking to see what injuries he might have sustained while running from the avalanche.

He pushed her away and started coughing and spitting up blood. He had no idea what was wrong with him. He was fine before he had encountered the beasts but now, he felt weak, drained, and sick. He felt as if he was carrying such a weight that it was literally weighing him down.

"Sephiroth let me help you!"

He just shook his head and slammed a fist into the snow covered ground, as if that in itself would stop whatever was happening to him.

"…Water…"

Tifa's eyes widened and she stood up looking around. "Water? You need water? Okay, just give me a minute. Stay there!"

Even in the midst of pain and weakness he still had the strength to say, "And where else would I go?"

Tifa rolled her eyes and ran to get firewood to boil down some snow. For once, the snow would prove useful to them.

-x-

Darkvel gasped and ran to the frozen mirror that showed the fate of the two beings that had Shiva's and her attention.

"What's wrong with him?! Why is he spitting up blood?! Shiva?"

Shiva looked down in sorrow.

_So he has finally drained his strength. Darkvel doesn't know that when Sephiroth is weak and he does nothing about it, he gets extremely sick and weak. With the Jenova cells inside him it makes everything that happens to him ten times as worse as a normal human._

"He is weak. When Sephiroth loses his strength he doesn't just get tired. His body begins to shut down and weaken from the inside out. It's not as bad as you think. He just gets extremely ill. Because of the Jenova cells inside him anything a normal human would experience he experiences ten times that. So, at this moment his body is weak and in need of rest. But being his stubborn self he does not realize this and assumes it is something someone else has done to him," Shiva paused to look at Darkvel who was looking at the scene with worry. Darkvel then looked at Shiva, a question in her eyes.

"So why does he get sick? I understand the Jenova cells and all but to cause such a reaction is insane! Why does he have to have such a reaction, to just being tired?"

Shiva sighed, she wasn't getting it.

"Sephiroth brags about how he can handle any kind of condition, pressure, activity, and physical endurance. But what he doesn't know is that when he does get weak, it is because he has literally drained everything inside him. He rarely eats, sleeps, or just relaxes. He is always on the move, never stopping for long. He needs a good days sleep and he refuses to do so. So, his body does the one thing it can to make him realize this. It gets sick. Extremely sick so he will notice. And after I caused the avalanche, it put so much strain on his body to have to run for a long period of time and then carry the burden of walking and leading Tifa, that it couldn't take the pressure. You don't understand how quickly Sephiroth can experience these swings in health. His body is always under pressure and every so often it needs to release the pressure. So, don't worry. His body is just trying to get him to take care of himself. Believe it or not but Sephiroth puts others before himself. He just doesn't know it."

Shiva looked confused, "So you're saying that when a normal human is weak they just get tired. But when someone with Jenova cells gets weak, their body gets extremely sick? Why?"

"Because the Jenova cells cause a change in genetics. It causes mutations in the blood stream. So it goes without saying that something as simple as getting weak would cause such a reaction. And with the amount of Jenova cells he has, he will get very sick and fast. I thought that the people in the village would help, but it seems that this may prove to be a better way for Tifa and him to get closer to one another. Sephiroth will have to recover for at least a week. I know he won't be happy about that. But of course, he doesn't seem to be happy about most things."

Darkvel finally understood and she nodded. But Shiva could tell that Darkvel was still worried. She was worried that the strain would kill him. But as Shiva looked at her mirror she smiled a small smile. With Tifa by his side, Shiva knew, Sephiroth wouldn't die anytime soon. He was looking forward to killing her too much to die just yet. And as Shiva observed the two interact she wondered; _were they already starting to understand one another and they hadn't realized it yet?_

-x-

"Come on Sephiroth, just lie down! It won't hurt you to rest for a day or two! I mean, you were spitting up blood a few minutes ago! If I don't call that being sick then I don't know what to call it!"

Tifa had pulled Sephiroth to a covered area of trees that kept out the elements pretty well. She had convinced him to let go of his sword, he thought it was some sort of devilry that was causing his pain and had pulled out his katana, and now she was trying to convince him to lie down and rest. After a few minutes of more arguing and tempers flaring Tifa had gotten Sephiroth to lie against a tree.

As he did so he thought about what the books he had read about Jenova and her cells. Was he really sick? Did the Jenova cells in him; really cause such an insane reaction to weakness? Sephiroth was starting to understand what was happening to him and he was furious. So furious that he actually decided to talk to Tifa about it. He partly thought this was because he was sick and was starting to act psychotic but he didn't want to admit that he was losing it. Though he didn't think she'd be surprised much.

"What are Jenova cells to you?"

Tifa blinked and looked at him from her hunched over position over the wood, trying to get it to burn the old fashion way since she was out of fire materia and all her powerful spells were at her house.

"Uh…I'm not sure now that I think about it. I guess they are something injected into people to give them inhuman abilities and endurance."

Sephiroth nodded a little, he had to admit, she was smarter than he had first realized. She understood complex things with ease. She was a problem solver, he had finally agreed in his mind after trying to place what it is she could be defined as.

"And if these cells were to cause such inhuman abilities, do you think they could cause such reactions if too much strain were placed on the body, both mind and soul?"

Tifa was getting the creeps by Sephiroth's suddenly talkative nature but she would go along with it anyways. Besides, it was nice not having him yell at her or act sarcastic at everything she said. It was nice to just simply talk like human beings. She didn't think she was missing companionship this much.

"I suppose so. It's only logical. If the cells could cause such abilities, it probably altered the blood stream. And everything that had to do with the physical and maybe mental capacity. I would assume that if it increased its ability to endure things it would also increase the hazards in which the body could be injected to. Like something as simple as becoming weak could cause the most…violent…reaction…" Tifa suddenly looked at Sephiroth, eyes wide.

"You're weak aren't you?!"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her, "I could kick your butt any day of the week if that's what you meant."

Tifa glared at him, "No, I mean, you didn't get enough sleep and nourishment so your body got weak. And when someone with Jenova cells gets extremely weak, even if they themselves don't know it, they get physically ill. It's like an alarm bell. It tells you when it needs to rest and restore itself. Why didn't you tell me this sooner? I wouldn't have bugged you as much!"

Sephiroth snorted and murmured, "Is that what you call it?" Then louder he said, "I did not understand it myself until now. Even I don't know everything about the side effects of having Jenova cells inside me. I have never had such a strong reaction to being weak before."

Tifa shook her head at him, "That's because back when you were still sane you actually cared about yourself! If you spent less time bragging about what you can do and spent more time acting like a human being and taking care of yourself, maybe you wouldn't have this problem! The only time someone gets sick is when the body is at its limits. Be it mental or physical."

Sephiroth looked up from his resting position, and glared a bit at her, "I do not think it your business to tell me what I can and cannot do."

Tifa looked him in the eye and matched his glare, "Well I don't think it right for you to always lock yourself away. Let people in! I can think of one person who truly cared for your well being no matter what you did!"

Tifa was surprised when he looked away and look at a tree off in the distance, his brows furrowed in thought, though it was just barely noticeable to Tifa.

"…Zack…was a good kid. Somewhat thick, but a good kid."

Tifa blinked stupidly. Was he complementing someone? Granted in his weird Sephiroth way, but it was a true compliment. Now that she thought about it, Sephiroth most likely didn't know Zack had died awhile ago. He had "died" before then.

"You do know Zack is-"

"Dead? Yes, I do. I have read many things, and the death of a former SOLDIER is on that list of readings. It is how I use to keep up to date with things happening in SOLDIER. I rarely had the time to see each person personally, so I read reports. After I awoke for the first time, I read some old files and found that one of them was the death of Zack."

Tifa nodded. She smiled a little. She liked this side of Sephiroth. The one that seemed to actually talk to you and care, well as much as he cared anymore. His voice was still cold in pitch and manner but the words were serene and true to nature. He didn't seem like the one to lie often. But she wouldn't really know.

Sephiroth glanced at Tifa and rolled his eyes. She was off in La La Land…again. But this gave him the opportunity to process what was happening to him. The last few days had been, to say the least, life changing. Not to his thoughts, no, he was still steadfast in the belief that Tifa wasn't the nice little girl everyone thought she was. She had problems just like everyone else and Sephiroth didn't see why everyone basically worshipped her. And then to get sick at this moment in time made his whole world twist and turn for the worse. He was not one to like to lie around and do nothing. He hated being idled, and he hated the feeling of being useless. It wasn't like him to stay in one place for long. Not anymore anyways.

With the sickness he had caught he would most likely have to lie here for a week at the most. It was an extreme amount of time to do nothing but it was normal. At least with the amount of Jenova cells he had. And thinking of Jenova made him think of SOLDIER and everything that had happened a bit ago. How he felt _old_ in a young world. Yes, he wasn't that old, but to be stripped away from a normal life and to be thrust into a new, strange one was to him, stupid. He would not age the same as everyone else and to be honest the only reason he kept his hair long was because it defined him. It was something he could control with his _own_ hands and not worry about it being stripped from him. It gave him a sense of nostalgia of things that were, of things that could never be. Could he not have time to reflect and regret as well? Would he be allowed such a privilege? When born a hero, do you dare contemplate your fate?

These were the questions that Sephiroth thought many times, all the time. They were always on the back of his mind, haunting him. Weighing him down, making him doubt himself. And he did not like to doubt himself. He was a man who was a pillar, always sure of his fate. But now…now he did not know. So much was uncertain. So much was unclear, foggy. Could he do it? Could he move forward and leave all the pain behind. Would he follow the footsteps of his friends before? Genesis? Angeal?

He pinched the bridge of his nose, not wanting to think of such things anymore. They depressed him, and he didn't want to carry the weight of the dead. He already carried the weight of the living. Genesis and Angeal were the past and it seemed _she_ was the beginning of his future. He hated to admit it but if it wasn't for Tifa, he wouldn't be alive at this moment in time. So, he supposed, he had to give some credit to her. As much as he didn't like to think about it, she had become something he was sure of. Something he could see and hear. She was real. She told it to him straight. And no matter how much they may argue, no one likes to be talked to frankly.

It made them uncomfortable. And people hate to be uncomfortable. Her stupid talks on letting someone in were true and he knew it deep down, but to be honest it hurt. He did not want to go through the trauma of thinking someone you knew was so sure of themselves, lose their way and in that lost and confused state, hurt the people around them, hurt _him_. No. Not now, not ever. He was not going to become weak. Not again. Friendship and love were for the weak and the powerless. Never. Never again would he open up and have it become a tool to crush the people around him he actually let into his life.

So Tifa could take her _speech_ and jam it up her butt. He wanted nothing to do with it. Not now.

_Not ever._

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter. Not much action happened but even Sephiroth needs time to think about things! I thought that all the stuff he suffered through would make him feel betrayed, and hurt. And not knowing what to do, he would lash out in anger. So, that was one reason I thought I would touch. I mean, Genesis and Angeal, and Zack a bit, were the people he trusted completely. And to have Genesis and Angeal turn their backs on him would probably make you sad or at least hurt. Of course I didn't want him to become soft too quickly so he is still at the stage where he is in denial about needing something or someone in his life.

And they will not just suddenly fall in love. They have to deal with the past and the present and move forward. They must first bond and connect on a friendship level before they can even think of love. Also, I hope that I portrayed Sephiroth well. And I made the thing up with the sickness. I just kind of wondered how I would play off of an idea a reviewer had and this came up. I thought it sound but who knows. I might have made Sephiroth too soft in this chapter and too talkative but I know that when I get confused I find myself doing things I normally wouldn't.

R & R!!

+ T H A N K : Y O U ' S +

Since I have answered all your reviews so far, I would like to just thank all of you for sticking with this story! And for all the new people for supporting this story and pushing me to update after a millennia! I hope this chapter is to your liking and keeps your bellies full while I work on a new chapter! And I apologize again for not updating for months. I hope that I can finish this story some day and I think I want to finish it around 20 something chapters if I can, if not fewer.

And I also would like to thank you guys for the suggestions! I really take them to heart! Kudos!

_mistress-of-the-fading-moon_


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